


candy cane promises

by funkyspacegirlfriend



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Upside Down, M/M, Mutual Pining, Self-Esteem Issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-18
Updated: 2020-12-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28153278
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/funkyspacegirlfriend/pseuds/funkyspacegirlfriend
Summary: Steve is pining, and Robin is over it
Relationships: Billy Hargrove/Steve Harrington
Comments: 10
Kudos: 42
Collections: Harringrove Holiday Exchange 2020





	candy cane promises

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hippiebuckyharrington](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hippiebuckyharrington/gifts).



Steve is absolutely _not_ staring at the sunglasses kiosk across the mall. There’s nothing even worth seeing over there. Just rows and rows of sunglasses. Totally boring. And Steve is. Bored, that is. Which is why he’s just.. looking off into space. At nothing.

“You’re staring again, dingus.”  
  


_Damnit, Robin_.

He straightens up and shoots a glare over his shoulder at his coworker/best friend. “I wasn’t. I was just.. looking. At nothing. I wasn’t _staring._ I’m not even interested in Bi- in sunglasses.”

Robin snorts and rolls her eyes at him. “Nice save. Real smooth.” She shuts the sliding windows that separate the back room from the front counter of Scoops Ahoy, and comes through the door to lean on the counter with him. “How many times do I have to tell you that every time you look away, Blondie over there takes over your little mutual pining staring contest before you _believe me_ and go do something about it?”

Steve’s face turns bright red, and he turns away from the sunglasses he was _not_ staring at, crossing his arms and scuffing the toe of his shoe on the tile floor. “Robin, I _can’t_. What if he’s not.. I just.. you know this is still new to me.”

Her face softens as she sighs and rubs a hand over Steve’s shoulder. “Yeah, I know you’re still deep in the throes of your great bisexual panic. But take it from a fellow gay: Hargrove _likes_ you. And he’s probably not going to make any kind of move himself since, ya know, everybody but me still thinks you’re,” she shudders and makes an overdramatic gagging motion, “distressingly heterosexual.”

That makes Steve laugh, and he shoves playfully at her. Robin makes an offended face and shoves him back, before settling into a smile and leaning her shoulder against him. “So. If you want to get gross with Billy Hargrove, it’s gonna be up to you, buddy.”

He groans, turning to press his forehead against Robin’s shoulder. “I don’t wanna.. ‘get gross with him,’ thanks for that. I want to.. hold hands with him and do all the dumb coupley stuff with him too.”

When he looks up, Robin is staring down at him with a look of mild horror. “Oh, god. This isn’t just you looking to try out a hot guy, is it? This is Wheeler all over again.”

Steve groans louder, sliding down the counter to sit on the floor. He’s afraid to tell Robin that he thinks this is worse. Because with Nancy, he had still been holding onto the persona of King Steve. He had been overconfident and charming, and she had liked that. Or at least, she thought she had. It’s become pretty clear over the past few months, as they’ve relearned each other as friends, that maybe they were both playing a part.

But now, he’s not any of those things. He’s a dork who works at an ice cream shop and hangs out with a bunch of preteens. As Dustin likes to tell him now, _Steve, buddy, you’ve got no game._ How was he supposed to charm someone as cool and good-looking as Billy Hargrove?

“It’s hopeless. Why in the hell would Billy be interested in a loser like me? I mean, have you _seen_ him?”

Robin thumps him on the head, making him flinch and swat at her, and then she tugs him to her feet and points a finger in his face.

“Alright, look. I know I tease you and give you a hard time, but that’s my best friend you’re talking about and I will punch you.”

That brings a small smile to Steve’s face and a quiet _thanks, Robs,_ and she pokes the finger into his chest.

“You’re a catch, Steve. And Billy Hargrove is the luckiest asshole in the world for catching your attention. And I want you to be happy, so here’s what you’re going to do.”

She leans across the counter and snags a candy cane out of the bucket, and then hands it to Steve. “You’re going to take this. You’re gonna march across the mall, hand this to Billy, say something sappy and sweet like I know you can, and then you’re gonna ask him to... I don’t know, go ice skating or look at Christmas lights or something equally adorable and gross.”

Steve laughs and wraps trembling fingers around the candy cane. Can he actually do that? The part of his brain that is terrified that Billy will laugh at him is screaming sirens at him. But the part of his brain that _really_ likes Billy is just chanting _Yes!_ over and over and over again. So he takes a deep breath, lets it out, and nods.

“Okay. Okay, I’m gonna do it.”

Robin cheers and claps her hands. “Yes, way to go, Steve!” She tugs his stupid dixie cup hat and tosses it on the counter, then gently but firmly pushes him around the counter. “Go get him, tiger!”

He gets as far as the doorway to Scoops before terror starts to take over, but one look over his shoulder at Robin, who’s giving him two very enthusiastic thumbs up, and he squares his shoulders and starts across the mall.

When he gets to the sunglasses kiosk, there are no customers lingering around, and Steve isn’t sure whether that’s a good or bad thing. But he doesn’t get a chance to hesitate or think too hard, because Billy spots him immediately from where he’s lounging against the opposite side of the kiosk. Within seconds, he’s leaning against the side Steve’s standing on and grinning, right up in Steve’s face.

“Hey, Harrington. What brings you to my humble place of business?”

Months ago, when things were still antagonistic between them, Steve would probably have taken one look at Billy’s face and thought he was being sarcastic and rude. But now, now that they’re at least somewhat friends, he can see it for the friendly tease it is. 

And that’s enough to give him a little hope, and a little extra confidence.

So he brings his still mildly shaking hand up, and holds out the candy cane. “Here. I uh... brought you this.”

Billy takes it slowly, staring first at the candy and then up at Steve with confusion on his face. “Uh.. thanks? I mean, I like a candy cane as much as the next guy, especially this time of year but I don’t—”

“Do you want to go ice skating?”

Shit. Fuck. Shit fuck shit. He had definitely not meant to blurt that out. If Robin could hear it, she probably would have slapped herself _and_ him in the face. His eyes are staring holes into the counter when he hears Billy speak again.

“Did you just... Steve, are you uh... asking me out on a... date?”

It takes all of Steve’s self control not to groan in embarrassment and just melt into the floor. What the hell was he thinking, listening to Robin? Of course asking Billy out was a terrible idea. God, now he probably wouldn’t even want to be friends with Steve anymore.

“Can we just forget I ever even came over here? Keep the candy cane, I’m just gonna go back over to Scoops and we can pretend this never happened and—”

“Yes!”

Steve’s head snaps up, startled brown eyes meeting equally startled blue.

“Did you... did you just say _yes_?”

Billy nods quickly, his original confusion melting into a soft smile as he twirls the candy cane between his fingers. “I... yeah. I’d really like to go on a date with you. Ice skating, or... or whatever. Just, whatever. With you.”

“Yeah? That’s... that’s great! I, me, too. With you. Anything.”

The blonde laughs and boops Steve on the nose with the candy cane. “Yeah, ok. Go back to work, Harrington. Buckley’s lookin' real smug over there, watching us. She put you up to this?”

Steve swats at him, grinning. Then he glances over his shoulder and sees Robin wave and give him another thumbs up, making him roll his eyes and turn back to Billy. “Convinced me, yeah. To finally stop staring and actually do something about it. Said you were never going to.”

One blonde eyebrow goes up and Billy smirks as he leans toward Steve. “Yeah? You been staring at me, Harrington? See anything you like?”

Steve leans in too, a little of his old King Steve confidence oozing through. “Maybe. She said you’ve been staring right back any time I wasn’t looking. That true, Hargrove?”

A light dusting of pink spreads across Billy’s nose and he tries to look nonchalant as he shrugs and straightens. “Maybe. Whatever.” He shoves at Steve’s face, making the brunette laugh as he stumbles back a little. “Go back to work, _Steve_. Quit botherin me.”

“Okay, okay, I’m going. But uh... I’ll text you, yeah?”

Billy nods, winking as he waves him off. Steve grins and waves back, turning to jog back over to Scoops where Robin waits with a huge smile and a high five. He doesn’t even wait to pull out his phone.

_Are you free on Friday?_


End file.
